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On the administration’s “enhanced support” for LGBTQ students

Julia Kohn | Friday, April 27, 2012

We have been told all our lives that actions speak louder than words.

Notre Dame students and faculty have always embodied this, especially in the form of the 4 to 5 Movement, which has been working tirelessly to raise awareness of LGBTQ rights on campus this year. However, the administration’s latest response to repeated pleas for equality on campus is the exact opposite of this principle.

They “continue to be committed to” existing policies which do not legally protect every member of the Notre Dame family. They will reinforce existing methods of “creating a safe space” and “raising awareness” without taking action to create a true safe space for LGBTQ individuals and their straight allies on campus – not one that the administration deems to be adequate, but one that the LGBTQ community deems to be adequate.

I love this school and what it stands for in the realm of social justice. However, this is a glaring injustice to the LGBTQ community, and it flies directly in the face of the Church’s teachings that homosexuals “must be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity,” and that “every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided.”